Retribution

CHAPTER FIVE

The young mage was the same one who had watched her so intently at the Earl’s Castle when she was a fire starter for the kitchen as a child. He’d aged in the past six years, and she wouldn’t consider him young anymore. But, there could be no mistake. It was him. Traveling on the same ship. Searching for her.

His eyes roved over the diners, never lingering long on any one, but observing them as a group. Just in time, Prin realized he was watching for signs of evasion, like her eyes darting away as his eyes found her. Before he turned his attention to their table, she lowered her eyes to examine the design on the plate in front of her.

“The young mage who knows me is sitting at the end of the room.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Sara started to spin her head, but instead turned the action into something of a laugh, while Brice didn’t react outwardly, other than a slight furrow of his brow. Prin fought the urge to look back at him.

A steward brought a bowl of fish stew and placed it on the center of their table, along with three smaller bowls, large spoons, and a small loaf of hefty, brown bread. His voice came quick and bored, “Water, ale, or wine?”

Sara instantly said, “Wine. For all of us.”

Prin had expected watered wine.

Sara shrugged and said, “The strange water may make us sick. Always drink ale or wine when traveling.”

“As if we didn’t know. I don’t like ale. It’s sour and makes me burp,” Prin said.

“We know,” Brice added, laughing. “From both ends.”

“Does not,” Prin tried defending herself and gave up. “What are we going to do about that mage?”

Sara said, “Avoid him.”

“While there are probably fifty passengers, it’s a small ship to try to avoid someone,” Prin said. “Why is he on this one? There are hundreds of other ships, probably thousands. But he chose to sail on this one?”

Sara nodded. “That’s a decent question. I believe we should discuss it after we eat. In private.”

Brice looked out the window and said, “I can hardly see the land, already. It took me seventeen days to travel from Indore to Gallium, but the winds are with this ship, and she has more sail. She might make it in twelve or fourteen days.”

“I could stay in the cabin and you two could bring my food.”

Sara scowled, “Prin, that would point a finger right at you. I wish you’d think before you speak.”

Prin’s eyes went to the man at the next table who seemed to be listening to their every word. How much had he overheard? She kicked herself for forgetting him. They had discussed his big ears only minutes ago, and already she had let her mouth run free.

He extended his chubby hand to Prin. While shorter than most, he was also heavier, a sign of wealth in some societies. Only those with enough coin can afford to eat so much. His smile was easy. “Call me Markus. I’m traveling home to Indore after doing business in Gallium.”

Prin provided their first names.

He said, “Those mages have been bothering everyone lately. Something has them stirred up, but for me, I don’t like them or their magic. They act better than us, but they are just toads for the wealthy.”

“Toads?” Prin asked.

He laughed. “Or Toadies. They grovel and flatter while crawling on their bellies in front of royalty. That’s all they’re good for. I don’t blame you for avoiding one who’s seen you before.”

“Why is that?” Sara asked, her nose lifted high as she looked down on Markus.

He shrugged. “What good can come of it? More than likely, something evil if you ask me.”

“Indeed,” Sara agreed, giving him a slight nod of approval. “What good can come of it is the question.”

Prin took the time during the exchange to examine the appearance of both Sara and Brice for any mistakes or imperfections. Her intense scrutiny revealed their ages to be similar, more than fifty, but less than sixty. Their noses and hair were alike, but nothing out of the ordinary, or that might draw attention. They appeared precisely as Maude had intended, tired and wrinkled. Her spells were works of art.

The man at the next table continued, “Besides, I don’t like them, either. I’ve had suspicions they’ve used their powers to influence buyers to purchase from others instead of me.”

Sara shifted slightly to look directly at Markus. Her voice and tone were remarkably like Maude’s, imperious and demanding, “And exactly, why would they do that?”

“Well,” he fumbled, “I don’t think they like me.”

“I see,” Sara huffed before turning away. “If you’ll excuse us. Now, Prin, what were you saying about your plans this afternoon?”

Prin watched Sara spoon out a bowl full of fish stew and pass it to Brice before filling the next one. Sara had dismissed Markus as if he didn’t exist. Not even her eyes shifted his way, and they didn’t move to look at the mage either. Sara set the second bowl in front of Prin and then served herself.

But Prin was not thinking about the meal. Sara had come to her rescue again. Sara had kept the man at the next table at bay, and kept the conversation light, while at the same time putting Markus in his place. He concentrated on finishing his meal, then left without a word to them. The problem was that she wouldn’t be around to do those things in a dozen days. Prin would be on her own.

Well, not her own, but she was far more suited to the coming events than Brice. He was little more than a sailor who possessed a few elemental powers. Brice was not a trained mage, and his few skills in that area were equal to those of an apprentice, even if he did hold three of the four elements. His fighting skills were less than those of the lowest soldier. He had only two positive traits. First, he was like a brother to her. Second, he was loyal.

It would be up to Prin to take charge. She would become the Queen of Wren by her actions, not by Brice’s. He was her Knight. She was the rightful heir. Her thinking required major changes, and she didn’t know if she was up to making them.

Her eyes shifted to the mage eating alone. His seating location was not an accident. While he spooned his stew, he watched, his eyes flicking from one table to another in a random manner.

The mage’s eyes found hers. She didn’t flinch or look away. Instead, Prin gave him the smallest of nods and turned back to Sara as if her actions were the same as with other passengers who had nothing to fear. “He saw me looking at him, so I nodded hello and then turned away.”

“Good. You acted as if you’d never seen him and the reaction was natural. His attention will probably shift to others.” Sara talked without looking at the mage, a feat Prin didn’t believe she could match.

Prin wanted another look, but to be caught looking again might indicate her interest. “Does he know something?”

“Yes,” Sara said. “He knows that if Hannah is alive, she is on her way to Wren. That’s enough for the increased scrutiny, and for him to return and wait for her.”

“They’ve been looking for me over five years,” Prin said.

Brice had finished his stew and sipped the red wine. “And they have not found you. Pass the bread?”

“Meaning?”

Brice paused as he turned his attention to her. “Sometimes a mage is just another traveler.”

Prin shook herself to prevent the internal fury she felt from escaping. “Not this time.”

“Well, tell me how he could know you’d be on this exact ship when a hundred are sailing for Indore?” Brice angrily bit the crust off his bread as if that settled the matter.

Sara said, “All right, you two, calm down. Let me get between you before you start a fist fight. Brice, your answer is weak and dangerous. I’ll tell you my thoughts. Count on your fingers the number of days Brice traveled with the news. Now, if you were searching for Hannah, you would know when that news would reach Gallium, right? It would reach the city of Horwath a few days sooner because it is closer, and had not yet reached Persimmon across the Red Sea.”

“I’m beginning to understand,” Brice said. “When the word of the King’s death reached Gallium, if the missing princess were there she would immediately catch the next ship to Indore—which would be this one.”

“Exactly,” Sara said. “And the same for each of the other ports. After the word reaches them or did reach them, there was probably an obvious ship that Hannah would take—if she lived in that city.”

Prin shrugged in a hapless manner. “So, I did exactly what they expected. I took the very next ship that would get me to Wren the quickest. No wonder he’s on this ship.”

“And he is probably not alone, Prin.” Sara glanced deviously around. “I am sure the mage is not the only one smart enough to figure that out. Brice, didn’t you say that all but one cabin had been sold? I wonder how crowded this ship normally is for an ordinary voyage from Gallium to Indore.”

Brice said, “That should be easy to find out. I can just ask a crewman.”

“Yes, you could, I’m sure.” Sara raised a finger and attracted the attention of the steward, who hustled to their table. She placed a medium sized copper coin beside her bowl and continued speaking to him, “I do apologize for my abruptness earlier, but hadn’t expected so many people on this voyage. It puts me a little on edge.”

“Sorry. We had to take on two more crewmen to help with the extra passengers.” His eyes locked onto the coin. “It seems everyone suddenly wants to go to Indore. We turned down several people because we didn’t have room.”

Sara slid the coin in his direction. “But, you will take extra good care of us?”

The coin disappeared into his apron pocket. “Of course.”

“There is one more thing you might do for us—and perhaps earn a small silver coin in return?”

“What is it?” his eager voice asked.

“People on this ship seem on edge. I’m sure you’ve noticed, but I have felt several men watching. Not that we carry a lot of money, but I don’t feel safe. If you hear any questions asked about us, please let one of us know, and I’m sure we’ll reward you satisfactorily. And may we have more wine, please?”

“Right away.”

Prin reached out and held her palm over Sara’s hand that lay on the table. “That is what I do not know how to do.”

“I learned from you,” Sara smirked as she answered.

“Did not.”

Sara chuckled, “You are always a step ahead for things like that. If I hadn’t have done it, you would have. Remember before we crossed the mountains, and you left the coin in the bottom of the mug at the inn where we got the horses?”

“That was different.”

“Was not,” Sara said, using the same snarky tone as Prin had used a moment ago.

“I’m scared to be on my own.”

Brice paused to wait for Sara’s response.

“First of all, you are not alone. But more than that, you have difficult choices to make until you claim your throne—then you will have far harder choices to make. Do not think of placing the crown on your head as an ending of difficult things you will do. In many ways, that is only the beginning. From that day forward, you will not decide what is good for Prin, but what is good for your subjects and kingdom. Worse, they may not agree with each other, and your choice will not be for what you want.”

“I’m terrified.” Prin looked from one to the other for comfort that didn’t come. “I’m going outside to get some fresh air.”

Brice pushed his chair back.

“Alone,” Prin snapped.

She reached the promenade on the port side, midship. A right turn took her towards the bow and around the front of the raised structure, then down the starboard side to the stern, and up the port side again. The rolling motion of the deck felt familiar and welcome. The salt smell and calls of the gulls brought back rushes of memories from when she was a deckhand.

She paused and watched a crewman toss an empty bucket over the side and raise it with the rope. The contents of the half-full bucket sloshed over the wooden deck, and a crewman used a scrub brush attached to a handle so he could stand and scrub instead of crawling over the deck on his knees. Why didn’t I ever think of that?

She had nearly worn out the knees of her pants when she could have done it far easier. The idea filled her mind that the bos’n had known of scrubbing brushes with handles. On the Merry Princess, it had been done the hard way to teach Jam a lesson, and his laziness had ended up making her work harder, too. Another reason to dislike Jam.

However, thinking about him made her wonder where he was and how his life might be going. The only thing worse than the mage being on the ship would be if she ran into Jam.

“That’s three,” a woman’s voice said.

Prin turned to look and found a young lady of perhaps thirty looking at her. Prin said, “Three?”

“Laps around the ship. I’ve been counting yours. They tell me you’re worried about something.”

Prin noticed there were vacant chairs on either side of the plump woman. “Do you mind?”

“Not if you tell me what has you so upset. I don’t think your eyes have seen anything on the ship, except for that handsome young man scrubbing the floor that you were watching so intently.”

Prin smiled. “Oh, I wasn’t looking at him for that reason. I used to scrub decks on a ship, and I was thinking back to those times.”

“Ah, good times remembering your youth? What was it, thirty years ago?”

“Oh no,” Prin said before she realized she’d made a mistake in the age. She appeared fifty, so thirty years ago was about right. But, she had contradicted the woman and now felt she had to correct her denial. She also realized the woman was asking a lot of questions.

The woman turned to her, a false smile leading the way. “No?”

Prin met her inquisitive gaze and calmly said, “I just meant that I hadn’t thought of so many years passing. It was a protest of those lost years, not a denial.”

The woman settled back into her chair and pulled her hat lower over her eyes, a clear dismissal. Prin stood and continued her walking the deck. When she circled the ship again, the woman was no longer sitting in the chair. Was she searching for me? Trying to trick me into revealing information? Or am I paranoid?

There was no reason that all the people working for the rewards offered for her head were men. It was just another indication of how careful she needed to be, and how many mistakes she was already making. She should thank the woman for putting her on guard. Prin fell back into the same chair and watched the ocean slip past, like her time running out. Each wave on the ocean she passed brought her one wave closer to Wren and her destiny, but Prin knew she was not ready. Not yet.